Circuit breaker



P. s. VAN WIJK' cnicun BREAKER and Oct. 17, 1922 2 Shuts-Sheet, 1

PIETER Gzmmvuwhm INVENTOR;

By Wk,

' Attorney.

P. GVVAN WIJK CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed Oct. 17, 1922 2 Sheets-Shoot. 2

Plan Ginsu-1m; Warn 'INVENTOR} MOM 4 1 Attorn ay.

Patented Nov. 11, 1924.

PATENT OFFICE.

PIETER GERRIT VAN V] IJ K, OF GELDER-MALSEN, NETHERLANDS.

CIRCUIT BREAKER.

Application filled October 17, 1922.

of Gelderland, Kingdom of the Netherlands,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Circuit Breakers, of which the following is a speci fication.

1 The invention relates to improvements in maximum circuit breakers having hand turning knobs, wherewith the breaking of the circuit may be elfected automatically a well as manually, a continued turning o the hand knob in one direction resulting ialternately closing and breaking the circuit.

Moreover the circuit may be broken by turning the knob in the opposite direction,

whereas continued turning of the knob in this direction does not impair the cut-out.

The invention may be applied to circuit breakers having a hingeable locking member, locking the cutting-out member proper in its closed position, said locking member being returned to its inactive position by the armature of the cutting-out magnet. when the latter is energized.

According to my present invention the hand knob of the cut-out as well as the cutting-out member proper are so mounted as to be rotatable in both directions indc pendently of one another about a common shaft and within certain limits. By turning the knob in one direction the cutting-out member by means of a resilient carrier may be passed from its open into its closed position, whereas by continually turning the knob in this direction as also by turning the knob in the opposite direction said knob runs free from the cutting-out member, the hand knob further being provided with member e. g. a finger or dent, which in a certain position of the knob when turning the latter in one as well as in the other direction lifts said locking member out of its active position; a second member being provided which, when turning the knob during the closing of the cutting-out member keeps the contact member coacting with said outting-out member, out of its closed position against the action of a spring.

The cut-out according to the present invention may have a very compact construc- Serial No. 595,042.

tion and requires even in the case of high currents only small dimensions. The working is reliable and damage due to an inappropriate use is excluded.

hen the short circuit by which the ant o matic cutting-out is effected persists. and notwithstanding that the cut-out is brought to its closed position, the circuit is immediately broken again, even when the hand knob is held in its closed position.

The invention is illustrated in the acconr panying drawing.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cut-out according to the invention, in its closed position.

Figure 2 is a front elevation.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line C-C in Figure 1, viewed from the left, certain parts being omitted for the sake of clearness.

Figure ft is a vertical section taken on thrline D-D in Figure 1, viewed from the right all superfluous parts being omitted.

Figure 5 is a front elevation similar to Figure 2, the parts being shown in the position, which they take-up after the breaking of the circuit by the magnet.

Fig. 6 is a corresponding front elevation showing the position of the parts, after the knob has been turned to the left till the circuit is broken.

Figure 7 is a side elevation (similar to that shown in Figure 1) of the cutting-out member proper.

Figure 8 is a vertical section taken on the line AA in Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a section taken on the line BB in Figure 1.

Figure 10 is a side elevation of the hand. knob and the parts connected thereto.

The maximum cut-out shown in the drawing principally comprises an electro magnet 2 mounted on a wall board 1 and binding posts 3 and 4 for connecting the mains. The cylindrical armature 5 of the magnet is guided in a fixed sleeve 6 of non-magnetic material and is provided with pins 7 projecting through slots 8 formed in the guiding sleeve 6 of the armature. \Vhen the armature is attracted said pins abut against a double armed lever 9 rotatable about a stationary shaft 10 and forming the locking member. The other arm of said double nl m.

armed lever is kept by a spring 11 in contact with the semicircular lower edge of the cutting-out member 12, which under the influence of the spring always tends to return to its cut-out position, but is prevented from doing so by means of a ratchet tooth 13 (Fig. 3) provided .at the said loweredge and resting with its flat front portion against the locking member 9. The cutting-out member 12 is rotatable about the nice. shaft 14 of the turning knob 15 and is electrically connected with one (3) of the binding posts. The other binding post has a contact arm 16 connected thereto, said arm being rotatable about a fixed shaft and being spring pressed against the cutting-out member 12 both parts yieldingly resting against each other by means of; small contact-plates 17,

of Wolfram (Fig. 2). v

The turning knob is rigidly, mounted on a hollow shaft of sleeve 18, which is rotatable about the shaft 1 1, secured to the board 1 (Fig; 10). At its inner end the sleeve 18 is provided with a finger o'r dent 31 which when turning the hand knob in a certain position, brings the locking member 9 out of contact with the tooth 13 of the cutting out member 12. Mounted upon the hollow shaft 18 is a circular disc 19 of insulating material (e. g. pertinax) and having a cam 20 or a part with a greater radius, said cam, when (by turning the knob 15) it comes opposite the contact'arm 16, forces said arm against the action of the spring, whereby the contact 1'71? is broken. The hollow shaft 18 is further provided with a suitable sleeve 21 secured thereto and having a dent or cam 22 with sloping side faces (Fig. 4:, Fig. 8). In turning the knob 15 said dent or cam 22 abuts against resilient carrying member 23 connected to the cutting out member 12 and in turning the knob in one direction, said member 12 is returned in its closed position against the action of its spring. In turning the knob in the opposite direction the cam 22 passes below the carrier 23, the spring 24: of said carrier beingput under tension thereby. The carrier 23, is pivotable about a small shaft 25, secured to the cutting-out member 12.

The cutting-out member 12 in plan' view is U-shaped, the two shanks of said U- shaped member being rotatable about the sleeve 18, carrying the hand knob and at the same. time being guided thereby. The carrier 231s normally pressed upon an abut merit 26 of the cutting-out member by the spring 24.

The working of the cut-out is as follows. When in the closed position (Figs. 14L) the maximum allowable current is exceeded (said maxi-mum current being regulated by adjustin the off-position of the armature by means of the set screw 27) the locking member 9 is lifted by the armature of the magnet and the cutting out member is passed into its other end position by its spring 28. The movement of the cuttingout member islimited by a fixed stop 29, projecting into a slot 30, of the cutting-out member (Figs. 3 and 9). In order to reclose the circuit the knob 15 is turned to the right, whereby the dent 22 abuts against the carrier 23 and through the medium thereof returns the cutting-out member into its closed position, in which the locking memher 9 is again pressed by the spring 11 behind the tooth 13 and prevents the cuttingout member from turning back. A continued turning of said member is prevented by reason of the end of the slot 30 abutting against the fixed stop29. The dent, when the turningof the knob is continued presses the carrier 23 upwards against the action of the spring 2 1, so that the knob 15 comes free from the cutting-out member. The circuit however is not closed before the dent 22 passes-below the carrier, since the cam 20 of Y the disc 19 up to this moment held off the contact arm. The resistance which the dent 22 has to overcome, when pressing the carwhen manually operating the switch, the circuit is closed or broken, clearly observable.

When out of this (closed) position (Fig. 2) the knob is further turned to the right, the locking member 9 (Fig. 9) is lifted by the finger 31, so that the cutting-out member comes free and under the action of the spring 28 passes into the cut-out position (Fig. By further turning the knob in the same direction the cut-out is again closed in the manner described above.

he turning of the knob 15 in the opposiLe direction from the position shown in Figs. 1-4, also results in breaking the circuit, since even then the locking member is lifted. A. continued turning in the'same direction however does not pass the cuttingout member in its closed position, so that the circuit remains unbroken. The construction of the parts may be altered, without departing from the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

In a circuit breaker of the character de scribed, the combination with a cut out ing member, of magnetic control for said locking member a spring for normally hold ing said cutout member .in cut out position a fixed shaft upon which said knob and out out member are rotatably mounted, said knob and cut out member being capable of rotation in both directions within certain limits and relatively of each other,'a res-ilient carrier carried by the cut out member and adapted to cause the operation of the latter to closed position, means for freeing the knob from the cut out member 'diirin continued rotation of the knob in both dimember having a knob and a hingeable lock-- 'rier sideways renders the moment in which;

able against said contact member to hold the latter in retracted position while the cut out member is being returned to closed position 1 against the action of its spring.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

PIETER GERRIT VAN WIJK. 

